Neighbours were understandably upset when they saw youths shooting at passers by with an air rifle from a block of flats on the Whitehawk estate, Brighton.

But when they did their duty and called police, expecting them to arrive quickly, no one turned up.

Police say the youths were only throwing stones but that's flatly denied by those who saw the incident.

But even if they were throwing stones, it's the sort of incident which neighbourhood coppers should try to stop.

Air rifles are not normally lethal but they can cause injury and are dangerous in the wrong hands, such as those of yobs.

Police should make up for lost time in investigating this incident and by insisting similar trouble is taken seriously.